2019-12-12 Thu

On December 12th 1976, Madanlal Dhingra’s ashes were brought back to India! Hanged to death on 17th August 1909 at the Pentonville Prison; London, he was perhaps the first Indian freedom fighter to be executed on British soil.

Dhingra was an Indian revolutionary freedom fighter who was born on 18 February 1883 in Amritsar into a Kulin Hindu family. In 1906, Madan Lal departed for England to enrol at University College, London, to study Mechanical Engineering. While studying in England, he assassinated Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie, an adviser to the secretary of State of India, at the meeting of the Indian National Association in London to avenge the atrocities committed by British in India.

This act was recognized as one of the first waves of revolution in the Indian Independence Movement in the 20th century. After a trial that lasted for one-and-a-half months, Dhingra was executed August 17, 1909, at the age of 26 years.

After his execution, Dhingra's body was denied Hindu rites and was buried by British authorities. Dhingra's coffin was accidentally found while authorities searched for the remains of Shaheed Udham Singh, and re-patriated to India on 12 December 1976. His remains are kept in one of the main squares, which had been named after him, in the city of Akola in Maharashtra.

Madan Lal Dhingra's ashes signified the contribution of the forgotten martyrs and the roles played by different groups in India's struggle for freedom. To honour this great revolutionary, India Post has issued 100 Paise (1 Rupee) commemorative postage stamp in 1992.

Image Courtesy: Wiki commons

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